SDP focuses on national politics with a special emphasis on South Dakota. It also includes posts on philosophy, science and culture. SDP was founded by Jason Van Beek, who stopped blogging after becoming a staffer for Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and is currently operated by Ken Blanchard.

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Empty image appeals and personality-based politics are now the norm

In Graham Greene’s classic novel, “The End of the Affair,” a mediocre government functionary is described as being “important rather as an elephant is important, from the size of his department.”

The biggest “elephant” in the nation would seem to be the most important man in the nation, President Barack Obama. Obama is remarkable in that in memory no one has risen to such heights based on so few apparent accomplishments.